This invention relates to a yarn carrier holder, and more particularly to a holder which automatically clamps and supports a yarn carrier.
In the textile industry, including the tufting industry, a yarn package includes yarn wound upon a carrier having a hollow core, such as a cone, spool or bobbin.
A plurality of these yarn packages are held by a creel and the yarn is pulled from these packages to a production machine, such as a loom, knitting machine or tufting machine. typically, creels have included long pins for receiving the yarn packages. In some instances, the pins are hinged so that they may be swung to facilitate loading and unloading the yarn package upon the pins.
Another form of yarn carrier holder includes springs for insertion into the hollow cores of the yarn packages. Such spring-type holders make it difficult for the operator to load and unload the yarn packages on the holders. Sometimes it is even more difficult to load and unload the spring-type holders when they are mounted overhead, and in situations in which most of the operators are women.
Examples of some prior yarn bobbin or cone holders are illustrated in the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,882,950, Rulon, Oct. 18, 1932 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,996, Vossen, Feb. 9, 1965 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,957, Singer, Aug. 23, 1983 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,178, Singer, Dec. 3, 1985
The above Rulon U.S. Pat. No. 1,882,950 discloses a bobbin holder including three circumferentially spaced, rockable fingers 4. As the bobbin is moved toward the mounting flange 3, the edges 13 of the fingers 4 are moved radially inward to force radially outward the opposite ends 11 of the fingers 4.
The Vossen U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,996, discloses a yarn cone holder including angular springs 47 in FIG. 1 which appear to operate on a principal similar to the rockable arms disclosed in the above Rulon patent.
Both Singer patents disclose a yarn bobbin or cone holder which includes a fixed upper clamp member and a pivotal lower clamp dog or member biased toward the fixed clamp member by a spring for the purpose of clamping the upper portion of the lip of a yarn cone or bobbin. In order for the clamp members to release the clip, a releasing lever is provided, which must be manually depressed in order to move the lower clamp member away from the upper clamp jaw. In addition, the Singer U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,178 (FIG. 2) discloses the forward projecting mounting bracket 10', which is fixed relative to the mounting plate and the clamp members.